Prappeda is an audacious Malayalam sci-fi anti-war film

The world seems to go by while a war carries on in Europe. Closer home, hardened identity politics is pitting human against human while some mainstream Hindi films are distorting history. Amid such contemporary history-writing, Krishnendu Kalesh’s Malayalam debut feature Prappeda (Hawk’s Muffin), critiquing patriarchy, greed, capitalism, and eco-fascism, is more a need than an exception.

Prappeda is an audacious Malayalam sci-fi anti-war film

The world seems to go by while a war carries on in Europe. Closer home, hardened identity politics is pitting human against human while some mainstream Hindi films are distorting history. Amid such contemporary history-writing, Krishnendu Kalesh’s Malayalam debut feature Prappeda (Hawk’s Muffin), critiquing patriarchy, greed, capitalism, and eco-fascism, is more a need than an exception.

It’s difficult to bracket the well-curated Prappeda into a genre. Imagine if the Kochi-Muziris Biennale was given a cinematic lease of life, this film is that. Human and nature are in semblance, the greens, browns, and nude shades of the clothing is an extension of the moss and the tree roots on the walls, in the outdoors, and the beige skin tone matches the earth. It’s quite like Don Palathara’s Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam/Joyful Mystery (Best Sync Sound at Kerala state awards last year), where the greens of the protagonists’ attire match the nature outside of their car, inside which the film unfolds.